ABOUT 264 people are confronted by a violent contact crime daily in the Eastern Cape. At least 20 of these people are raped and 11 of them are killed.
This average is according to the latest crime statistics released by the national police management in parliament last week. In addition to an increase in the murder rate, the province also exceeds the national trend in various crime categories.
The most important of these are sexual offences, stock theft and cash-in-transit robberies.
According to statistics for the 2018/19 financial year, 68 416 so-called contact crimes were committed in the province.
This includes 3 965 murders. Most of these were in the district of the Mthatha police station. Bethelsdorp and Lusikisiki hold second and third place on the list, respectively.
“The Eastern Cape has five (police stations) among the top 30 police stations where the most murder cases are reported.
“Murder is still on the rise, with an increase of 3.9%, which means an average of nearly 11 people are killed each day in the province,” said Bobby Stevenson, DA spokesperson for safety and security, in response to the statistics. In the previous financial year, the Eastern Cape held the top position in South Africa for attempted murder, with most cases reported in Gelvandale, an area ravaged by gang activity.
Despite a 14% drop in attempted murder cases in Gelvandale this year, it is still the police station with the second most cases in the country.
The third most cases were reported at the Bethelsdorp police station.
In March, 12-year-old Irvinisha Brookes became one of the many innocent victims of gang violence after a stray bullet hit her, barely 50m from her parents’ home.
Irvinisha’s mother, Sonia Brookes, said she knew police were working hard against gang violence but felt the police and government could do more.
“If there are no firearms, there will be no bullets. I also believe it is the people who have nothing to keep themselves busy that get involved in the gangs. If there is work for them, they will stay away from it and reduce gang crime.”
According to national crime statistics, there were 1 120 gang-related murders nationwide and 119 were in the Eastern Cape.
Christian Martin, a champion for the rights of residents in Port Elizabeth’s gang-ravaged areas, believes these statistics are wrong.
He said there were at least 195 gang-related murders in Port Elizabeth alone.
In the past financial year, 11 police officers were killed in the Eastern Cape.
Constable Dwane Kemp of Port Elizabeth’s flying squad was one of them.
His wife, Candice, who was pregnant with their son at the time of his death, said she believed police could do more to protect their officers, especially in terms of a better uniform.
“For example, my husband was very tall (1.8m) and he was shot in the stomach, just below his bullet-proof jacket, by his left main artery,” Kemp said.
SEXUAL CRIMES
Sexual offences increased 4.6% nationwide. In the Eastern Cape, however, the increase was much higher, at 7.9%.
Rape increased 3.9% nationwide and 7.1% in the province.
A total of 7 305 rape cases were reported in the Eastern Cape during the past financial year – about 20 per day.
Lusikisiki (an increase of 46.6%) is the area where the second most rapes occurred in the country, with Mthatha (down 8.1%) in seventh place.
STOCK THEFT
The Eastern Cape is, by far, the province with the most incidents of stock theft and, according to the latest statistics, this has increased by 8.3% over the past financial year.
Bityi, Sulenkama and Maluti are the top three areas in South Africa in terms of stock theft.
Doug Stern, chairperson of Agri Eastern Cape, said Eastern Cape farmers were known not to report cattle theft, mainly because they had lost confidence in the police’s ability to resolve matters.
According to Stern, stock theft and the accompanying drought have the potential to cut farmers financially.
“Livestock theft is a health concern.
“Without financial assistance from the state, due to the drought, things are so much worse.
“It is our livelihood that is being taken away,” Stern said.
CASH-IN-TRANSIT ROBBERIES
Gauteng had the majority of cash-in-transit robbery incidents (62) reported, while 46 incidents occurred in the Eastern Cape.
This is double the number reported in the previous financial year and the most since 2011.
Cash Connect’s chief operating officer, Mark Templemore-Walters, attributed the increase in cash-in-transit robberies in the province to opportunistic criminals seeking a softer target due to pressure in other provinces.
“The police usually focus on and prioritise their resources and manpower in problem areas such as in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
“When the pressure becomes too much for a criminal, he simply shifts away and seeks an easier target,” Templemore-Walters said.
RURAL SAFETY
In the 2018-’19 financial year, there were 47 murders in 41 incidents on farms and smallholdings across the country.
According to the civil rights organisation AfriForum’s statistics, there were 32 farm attacks in the Eastern Cape for the 2018 calendar year, of which three were murders.
Johandré van Zyl, AfriForum’s chief of security for the southern region, says the general crime situation indicates that crime in the province is out of control.
“Murders, as well as attempted murder, are the highest in 10 years.
“The community cannot rely solely on the state to ensure their safety,” Van Zyl said.
